Vulnerability

The Vulnerable and the excluded

Vulnerability and exclusion is a feature of poverty and manifest in various forms. Emerging forms of exclusion and vulnerability depicts worsening forms of poverty. These include the phenomenon of street children, increasing child labour; plunged into poverty by HIV/AIDS and victims of traditional harmful practices and domestic violence.

The most vulnerable and the excluded groups in the Asunafo North District include, the physically - challenged persons, Children in difficult circumstances, victims of abuse, disadvantaged women, rural agricultural producers, and victims of harmful traditional practices

Review of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy

Ghana Poverty Reduction Poverty Reduction Strategy I sought to Reduce Poverty through Micro and Micro Economic Policies which aimed at stabilizing the Economy as a sound foundation for growth and wealth creation in the country. If was thus impinged on five thematic areas of:

i.    Micro Economy

ii.   Production and gainful employment

iii.   Human Resource Development and Provision of basis service

iv.  Good Governance

v.   Vulnerability and Excluded

The Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II seeks to take advantage of the sound and stable Micro & Micro Climate achieved by the GPRS I to accelerate the development prospect of the nation through a competitive accelerated support to the private sector for efficient service delivery, Development of a skilled manpower through quality Education and skill training of the Human Resource base of the Country, while ensuring Good Governance and Civic respondent through a disciplined dedicated and committed public and private sector for an accelerated development.

Micro Economy

Observation

Even though the District has been divided, statistics available from the finance office suggest that, more of the proposed objectives were achieved, on the issue of increasing the Assembly’s Revenue by 20% and capital expenditure by 65% , it was identified that, the assembly has not been able to  execute a  juggle capital projects and that, until 2006, the revenue of the assembly decreased, on the contrary.

Lessons Learnt

It was realised that, the base poverty year levels used as that poverty and hand care poverty were misleading as the truce picture of poverty exceeds the 24% as portrayed by the plan

It was also realised that, the assembly didn’t make enough efforts on revenue mobilization within the plan period. Revenue officers lacked the necessary logistic and training to be able to mobilize the needed revenue for the assembly. Property rate collection was only limited to a few popular wood based industries and it had recorded nothing on rate basic.

Production and Gainful Employment

Among the objectives or proposed projects and programmes includes

• Reduction of Unemployment rate from 11:5% to 7%
• To increase the production of paddy rice and maize by 5%
• To reactivate the use of site at Goaso by 2004
• To establish four plantain processing and three  gari plants and rehabilitate 2 oil palm processing plants
• To development 6 market centres in the district
• To grant poverty alleviation credit to 150 people.

Observation

• With regards achievements the district exceeded its  5% by 10% increase in rice maize production
• It was also able to construct 3 of  the proposed  6 markets across the district
• It was able to established the three gari processing plants  however it was unable to established even of the  proposed four plantain processing plants, nor rehabilitate the two oil palm processing plant
• It performed creditably well by granting Poverty Alleviation Funds as Credit to 150 people.

Lesson Learnt

• It was learnt that, no conscious efforts were made to establish the plantain processing plants, and this was as a results of weak coordination and collaboration between the District Assembly and Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
• It was again realized that, no attempt was also made as reactivating the abandoned that the district received more application that, what the plan envisage to assist.
• Special Programme For The Vulnerable And Excluded
• Under this theme, the district among other things proposed to:
• Sponsor 20 disabled people through education
• To increase girl child by 50%
• Intensity advocacy against child betrothals and abuse and reduce each by 50%.
• Engage 15 Community Based Organizations and 3 Non-Governmental Organizations in HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.
• To increase funding support to the Department of Social Welfare, Community Development, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, National Commission on Women and Development and National Disaster Management Organization by 20%.

Poverty Issues

The Asunafo North Municipal is predominantly rural with 71.6 percent of its population living in the rural areas as shown in Table 1.8. This is higher than the national figure of 56.2 percent and a regional figure of 61%. 64 %  of the population are engaged in peasant farming using crude implements such as Cutlass and hoes which affects their productivity hence low incomes levels among farmers especially food crop farmer who are considered the most poor in Ghana.

The urban population which was increasing at a decreasing rate between 1960 and 1984 turnabout and recorded a positive change. This is due to the fact that between 1984 and 2000, Ayomso and Akrodie grew above the 5000 urban population indicator.

The implication of a large rural population to development policy is that there is the need for policies to focus sharply on rural development programmes to address the development needs of the rural areas where the bulk of the population live. Conscious efforts should also be made to encourage the growth of medium–size settlements.

Religious Beliefs

The dominant religion in the rural areas of the municipality is Christianity which covers about 83 percent, Islam 16 percent and traditional religion 1 percent in that order.

In the urban centres, the same picture is portrayed with Christianity as the dominant religion followed by Islam and traditional religion in that order. The major religion is Christianity (84 percent) followed by Islam (14 percent) and traditional religion in that order. Religious affiliations influence people’s values, interest and perceptions which affect their choices and preferences in society. Also these affiliations serve as good channels for information dissemination in, which can help in development.

Marital Status

This analysis includes all household members of 18 years and above. It reveals that 84 percent of the rural folks are married, 11 percent single, 2 percent divorced and 3 percent widowed. As regard to the urban centres, 71 percent were married 27 percent single and 1 percent widowed and divorced respectively. The municipality has a high marital status. This is because about 87 percent of the 18 years and above age group are married. Most of the widowed are old women while a sizeable proportion of the single are students.

In the light of the large married population, one can foresee a tendency towards a stable society and also double parentage could provide a higher household income.